Liquid Yeasts

[blakie21]

Hi guys

Thought I would post here (sorry if there is a better section) for those who are most likely new brewers like me doing kits and extract stuff.

I just wanted to share my experience. I used dry yeasts for my first 2 brews and they came out pretty good after lots of help from everyone on here. Then I switched to liquid yeast for a belgian blonde and hefeweizen. I know alot of people suggest liquid yeasts but wow I did not realise how much of a difference it would make to my beer. Of course temperature and control and sanitisation are probably the most important, I find liquid yeasts have vastly improved my beers!

My latest brew - a hefeweizen (trying to clone something like a weihenstephan hefe) came out really close considering I can't customise brews like AG brewers can.

My question to any experienced brewers reading this - is this just my brewing techniques getting better or does it really make a huge difference?
and to anyone new to brewing, once you get general brewing techniques down spend the extra 5 dollars and try liquid yeasts!

Cheers guys

 

[Pennywise]

The good thing about liquid yeasts is the variety, it's not just because they're liquid IMO. Make a beer with US-05, and then the same one with Wyeast 1056. If you notice any difference my bet would be simply freshness of the yeast & pitching rates. Personally I can't tell the difference between them when pitching correct amounts.
I almost exclusivly use liquids now simply because there's more choice, and you can split the packs up and store them in vials.

 

[blakie21]

Fair enough, I think because there isn't much choice in wheat yeasts is probably the reason I noticed so much difference. Both brews have been estery and need a specific profile so I suppose that may be why

I have also had friends say the liquid ones taste alot more like a commerical beer than 'home brew'. I can honestly say now that if served one of my beers I would not be able to tell you it was home brewed.

When you split the batch up, do you just sanitise a vial and pour the yeast in and store in the fridge?

 

[Nick JD]

...does it really make a huge difference?

It does. However:

You'll notice that a lot of the experienced brewers here will happily use a handful of dry yeasts. Usually the bland US ale yeast and a couple of ultra-reliable dry lager yeasts.

From what I've heard and read, some yeasts don't take kindly to the dehydration process. Most speciality yeasts like the weizens and the belgians and a lot of the fruity ale yeasts simply are not available dried.

Your temp control has made a big difference, but for yeast-driven styles (like weizens and belgians) choosing the right yeast is 50% of the job.

And liquid yeasts are not more expensive. When you are bottling, sanatise a 300ml PET bottle, swirl the crud at the bottom of the fermenter up with about 200ml of beer until it's uniform (don't shake though, just gentle prolonged swirling) and then fill up the 300ml PET bottle with the mud. USe it within a month by letting it warm up to room temp, pouring off the beer on the top (taste it to check for funk), swirling it and pouring it into the fermenter.

I usually get 4 batches from a $10 pack. Cheap as chips.

 

[Pennywise]

Yeah the wheat yeasts are fantastic. I love 3068 :icon_drool2: . If you can get your hands on some 1469 for a english bitter, it's a must try

 

[Nick JD]

My current favourite is 1214. The Chimay yeast.

Blakie, if you like your weizens then you'll love the Belgians. Google an extract version of a Chimay - Americans will have lots of them as they're big on extracts with wyeast.

 

[blakie21]

It does. However:

You'll notice that a lot of the experienced brewers here will happily use a handful of dry yeasts. Usually the bland US ale yeast and a couple of ultra-reliable dry lager yeasts.

From what I've heard and read, some yeasts don't take kindly to the dehydration process. Most speciality yeasts like the weizens and the belgians and a lot of the fruity ale yeasts simply are not available dried.

Your temp control has made a big difference, but for yeast-driven styles (like weizens and belgians) choosing the right yeast is 50% of the job.

And liquid yeasts are not more expensive. When you are bottling, sanatise a 300ml PET bottle, swirl the crud at the bottom of the fermenter up with about 200ml of beer until it's uniform (don't shake though, just gentle prolonged swirling) and then fill up the 300ml PET bottle with the mud. USe it within a month by letting it warm up to room temp, pouring off the beer on the top (taste it to check for funk), swirling it and pouring it into the fermenter.

I usually get 4 batches from a $10 pack. Cheap as chips.

Recently did this with a wyeast 3068 - been reading they dont always do so well the second time around. Definitley a good idea though no point in wasting the yeast!

One thing I have also noticed is that the yeasts seem to either floctuate or not - appropriate to the style. I brewed a lager with S-23 and noticed it really kicked up from the bottom of the bottle just from the carbonation in the bottle, so you had to be really careful with it! I also noticed my WB-06 dropped out and became fully clear very quickly, whereas the 3068 is golden cloudy but not lumpy. My 3787 dropped out and behaves in the bottom of the bottle nicely.

Is S-23 just not very flocculant for a lager yeast? I ask because I want to make another lager soon and considering using a dried yeast again. I do keg now so it is not so much of an issue.

 

[blakie21]

Thanks for the yeast suggestions guys, adding to my list of beers to brew

I really want to try the Chimay actually, I used 3787 for a leffe blonde clone which was quite nice (intense esters) but I think i prefer chimay now that I have tried them!

Also have never made an english bitter so another one to add

 

[Bribie G]

As Chris White and Jamil say in their Yeast Book: Brewers make wort, yeast makes beer. :icon_cheers:

 

[mje1980]

TOp cropping UK ales makes liquid yeast very cheap!. Nothing like spooning out a heap of thick tan mousse!!